Do you know what isn’t a surefire way to learn all you need to know about a person? Finding out who links to them online. Lew Fidler accused David Storobin of having “ties to neo-Nazi groups,” a claim he has backed away from, saying he never meant to accuse Storobin—a Jewish immigrant— of being a Nazi, and that if he were more web-savvy, he would have said “links.” Rather than going into a lengthy explanation of why it makes a huge difference who is linking to whom, suffice it to say that Storobin doesn’t control the internet. Heck, Jewish Voice content has wound up once or twice on Islamist internet forums (our Mid East coverage, after all, is top notch), but last time I checked, we weren’t exactly carrying-members of Hezbollah. The accusation was ridiculous, the “apology,” borderline hilarious. Now, let’s move on.

We at the Jewish Voice would be remiss in our endorsement of Mr. Storobin if all we did was give reasons not to vote for his opponent, without pointing Storobin’s own merits. As it turns out, there are plenty.

David Storobin feels the pulse of his vibrant community. Unlike his opponent, he is willing to take a stand for the traditional (read: actual) definition of marriage. This is an issue where our political leaders are, sadly, lacking clarity. A vote for Storobin is a vote for a return to clarity.

But what about issues which are not just matters of principle, but have a direct effect on the livelihoods of voters (especially the kind that read the Jewish Voice)? Observant Jews, for instance, are facing a tuition crisis. Storobin promises to make this a priority, and pursue school vouchers for parents who wish to send their children to non-public schools. Fidler opposes this, recommending tax credits instead. That’s great for those of us with salaries high enough to accrue a tax obligation that outweighs the exorbitant tuition rates of quality yeshivot (or those of us who can afford to wait for the refund), but considering that not everyone is so fortunate, we’re with Storobin on this one.

David Storobin takes the right stance on moral issues, and the right stance on tax issues. Of course, if you ask us, Republicans tend to do that. 

Speaking of which, have you seen this new 2012 Job Creation Plan being put forth by the GOP in Albany?  We’re talking 20% tax cuts for small business owners, tax credits as incentive for the creation of new jobs, not to mention undoing the damage of the 500% energy tax hike the Democrats foisted on us back in ’09. These measures represent concrete steps towards a solution to the economic plight affecting so many New Yorkers. David Storobin would be a part of that solution.

It’s not that Fidler doesn’t want to help his community, heaven forbid. On the contrary, we believe he is sincere in his convictions (the neo-Nazi fiasco notwithstanding). But aside from the fact the Storobin’s stances on the issues are more consistent with a traditional Jewish (not to mention, Christian) worldview, the simple truth of the matter is that, as a member of the majority party, Storobin will have more clout in the state legislature. Working with people like Majority Leader Dean Skelos, who proved himself a friend of the Jewish community with his vital support for the Rabbinic Tuition Assistance Program, Storobin could really have an impact.  By contrast, even if Fidler’s good intentions were to suddenly translate into the correct positions on the issues (we have no reason to believe they would, but let’s pretend), as a Democrat he’d essentially be working for us with one hand tied behind his back.

We started it with Turner (a campaign to which the Jewish Voice was also proud to lend its support). Let’s finish it with Storobin!